On July 23, Ihar Barysau, Deputy Chairman of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party’s Mahiliou office, was summoned to the police department of the Mahiliou district where Major Siarhei Haliantau officially charged him with an administrative offense.

Ihar Barysau is accused of violating Article 22.9, Part 2 of the Administrative Code, according to which he, not being a distributor of media, in violation of Article 17 of the Law “On Mass Media” transported in his own car 11,800 copies of BSDP flyers and the newsletter “Nash Mahiliou”, which is in accordance with Article 1 of the Law “On Mass Media” distribution of media products.

“Major Haliantau charged ​​me with an administrative offense. He said he would send the case to the court today, which will decide on what to do with my “leaflets”, and what punishment will be handed down to me for violation of the Law “On Mass Media,” says Ihar Barysau.

Deputy Chairman of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party (Hramada) stresses that does not agree with the charges, as he did not distribute printed products, but was simply carrying them.

Ihar Barysau’s car was stopped by traffic police outside Mahiliou in the night of July. They said that the car was reportedly involved in hooliganism in the district center of Bialynichy. The road policemen asked the activist to follow them to the Mahiliou district police department. In the police department, Ihar Barysau’s car was searched and printed materials were seized.

The periodicals Ihar Barysau was transporting told about the Popular Referendum and a campaign entitled “Save Old Mahiliou”.

Ihar Barysau faces an administrative fine of between 3 and 7.5 million rubles.